Trial of the Sun
by bouncymochi
Summary: This is the sequel to the Card Captor Quartet. Just as it comes down to the last seven cards, a terrible fight results in Syaoran deserting the team. Sakura, Tomoyo, and Meilin realize that Syaoran’s betrayal will spell the end of the Card Captor Four.


Summary:

This is the longer and much darker sequel to the Card Captor Quartet. Just as it comes down to the last seven cards, a terrible fight results in Syaoran deserting the team. Sakura, Tomoyo, and Meilin realize that Syaoran's change of heart has is connected to the Golden Clow, and that their failure to save him will spell the end of the Card Captor Four.

Chapter 1: The Danger Within

_He was sick of being treated this way. How dare they taunt him! How dare they reject him! He'd show them that he deserved respect. After all that he did for them, it was the least that he deserved._

_Why was it so hard to find a true friend? A friend who would always stay by his side, and defend his every move? A friend who would understand his feelings, and put an end to the loneliness in his heart?_

_It was because he hadn't looked in the right place. It was time to stop looking in the light. It was time to confront the shadows within._

"It's cute!" Sakura gushed.

"Not as cute as you!" Tomoyo laughed. "If this video turns out fine, I'll make a movie out of it!"

"You'd better not make it a comedy." Meilin growled. "Because this is just _ridiculous_!"

Unlike Sakura, Meilin was always down to business. Right now, she was staring intently at the bouncing rabbit that Kero had identified as the Bounce Card.

"This one's easy," Meilin smirked. "I could get it with my hands tied behind my back!"

Meilin dashed towards Bounce and swiftly kicked it in the stomach. The card squeaked as it crashed into a wall... and bounced right off.

"You're wrong about that, Meilin." Sakura grinned. "The Bounce can't be stopped by physical attacks!"

"Float!" Sakura floated over to Bounce and petted it on the head.

"Hoe! It's fluffier than Kero!" She cried.

Meilin gave a sigh of impatience.

"At this rate," She sighed. "We' never get the last seven cards."

The Next Day...

"I can't believe she wasted all that time cuddling that "little rabbit!'" Meilin complained. "Do you know how long it took before she actually captured the card?"

"Stop it, Meilin. You've been cranky ever since Sakura captured the Mind card two months ago!" Syaoran sighed. "In my opinion, she deserves it more than you."

"That's it, Syaoran!" Meilin spat. "I'm sick of you always supporting Sakura!"

Syaoran ignored his cousin's last words, pretending instead to be interested in Tomoyo's detailed descriptions of Sakura's new outfits. Just when he was about to doze off, a very familiar voice spoke in his head.

"AHHHH!" Syaoran screamed.

"Gotcha!" Sakura cried as she skipped into the classroom. "At first, I thought that you wouldn't be fooled, but well, I was wrong!"

"How-did you get into my head?" Syaoran cried.

"Mind," Sakura grinned. "And Sound, too."

"Someone's given her the wrong combination of cards." Meilin laughed. "How did she make you _scream_?"

"She imitated the voice of my archenemy!" Syaoran cried.

"Anyone who makes him blush is his enemy," Tomoyo pointed out. "Since Sakura used Sound, she couldn't have used her own voice. That leaves Yukito...or Eriol!"

Syaoran's face turned redder.

"AGH!" He screamed. "Stop that!"

The three girls burst into peals of laughter.

Syaoran flinched at the sound. He felt that there was something _wrong_ with their laughter...it sounded, of course, _like_ laughter, but it also sounded..._sinister_. It was almost like the sinister laughter of Possess when he had knocked out the Card Captors six months ago during a fight.

Syaoran shook away his doubts. Sakura and Tomoyo were his_ friends. _And Meilin was his cousin How could he have associated their laughter with that _evil _sound?

Then, Syaoran realized that Sakura, Tomoyo, and Meilin were staring at himNoThey were _glaring_ at him-

Then, Syaoran felt his right cheek burn in pain.

Meilin's fist came away as she looked worriedly at her cousin.

"Meilin," Syaoran began.

"Phew, you're awake," Meilin sighed. "I so worried when you started to scream..."

_See, Syaoran? She hates you._

"What did you say?" Syaoran shouted.

Meilin was taken aback.

"Nothing!" She replied.

_If she likes you, then why can't she understand your feelings, Syaoran ?_

"He was probably daydreaming about _someone_!" Tomoyo joked.

_Oh dear, she hates you too, embarrassing you like that in front of others. . ._

"Tomoyo, stop it!" Syaoran cried.

Tomoyo, too, was taken aback.

"Syaoran, what's wrong?" She asked.

_Oh, nothing! She just didn't expect you to fight back! _

"I swear that something's wrong," Sakura said urgently. "He's never been so...suspicious before!"

"True," Tomoyo agreed. "Even when you were injured by Mind, he was so confident that you'd succeed; he was upbeat to the very end."

"What's happened to him?" Meilin whispered. "Tell me the truth, Tomoyo, is it my fault?"

Tomoyo placed a hand on Meilin's shoulder.

"No, Meilin. Don't take the blame." She said.

"We'll find out who's to blame, Tomoyo," Sakura cut in. "When Syaoran gets here."

"Why are you quiet all of a sudden? Is it because of me?"

"Besides the fact that your mind's in another dimension, you are totally fine, Syaoran!" Meilin scoffed. "Why are you mad at us, Syaoran? Why are you mad at me? I don't understand!"

"It's just that you don't get me at all!" Syaoran blurted.

"That's the downside of hanging out with a bunch of girls," Sakura laughed. "Why don't you be nicer to Eriol?"

"I would, if only I didn't hate him so much!" Syaoran spat. "I can't believe that after all this time, you still don't know who I like and who I don't!"

Sakura gasped, and looked away.

"Now look what you're done, Syaoran!" Meilin cried. "How can we know you if you never tell us anything?"

"Because it's too obvious!" Syaoran yelled.

"Leave me alone," He sniffed.

He turned and walked away.

Sakura watched him go with tears in her eyes, but another pair of eyes glowed with triumph at the scene.

"Excellent, Syaoran." Said the card known as Hate. "Excellent."

To be continued. . .

I told you that it was dark.


End file.
